A dire warning tonight for folks who frequent tanning salons.

Weblink For This Story Article From The Journal Of The National Cancer Institute

KIRO 7 Health Reporter Micki Flowers reveals the startling results of a new study that uncovered the consequences of artificial tanning.

It's no secret that overexposure to sunlight can increase your risk of getting skin cancer.

But maybe you think artificial sun is OK.

Think again. A new study appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute spells out the danger of going to a tanning salon. The news is grim, especially for the young.

21-year-old Heather Anderson says she started tanning in her teens.

"The first time I went to a tanning booth I was probably a sophomore in high school, and that's, you know, 16-years-old. It was just all the pressure of trying to be beautiful whatever that is," she said.

A new study shows that golden glow may come at a high price, especially for women who make a habit of going to tanning booths, thinking it's a safer tan than the sun.

In a large study, Scandinavian researchers found women of any age or skin tone who visited a tanning salon more than once a month increased their chances of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer by 55 percent. Dermatologist Brandith Irwin isn't surprised.

"I see skin cancer all day. I think many people do not realize still how dangerous ultra violet a radiation is in the form of tanning booths," Irwin said.

Researchers don't know why, but it's especially dangerous for the young. They found women in there twenties who tanned regularly in booths, boosted their chance of getting melanoma by 150 percent.

"The bottom line is there's no safe tan. The tanning is injury to the skin and that injury accumulates."

A fact that's made Heather think twice about tanning.

"(I) Maybe only do it once a year, and maybe not at all. I mean that's scary those numbers," she said.

Dr. Irwin says the findings would apply to men as well.